Weather calls tune for Kev

The very bad weather might have stayed away but, for all that, the Kev the Kiwi Buggy Walk at Kaitoke was one for the hardy.

With big winds gathering and drizzle in the air, 40 people turned out for the family friendly buggy walk on January 12, well down on last year’s 200-plus on a perfect day.

For Upper Hutt’s Tracey Blunn the weather was no problem. ’’It’s something you get on with. You just have to be prepared for it,’’ she said, with children David, 9, and 18-month-old Mila all rugged up and ready to walk and ride.

The trio had been at the Kaitoke Regional Park the Saturday before for a Nature Discovery Treasure Hunt where 400 people turned out, in good weather,

‘‘This is the first time we’ve ever come to any council-run things. I think they are excellent. They are very well run,’’ the English born Blunn said.

Both free events were part of the Greater Wellington Great Outdoors programme which offers more than 50 events at nine locations through to early April.

After being sent away by Kev the Kiwi, Thursday’s group was led by regional council park ranger Steve Edwards. They followed alongside the Pakuratahi River to Rivendell where scenes from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films were shot.

The group then split for a homeward journey. The buggies and their drivers stayed on the sealed road while the more mobile took to bush track.

All were home before noon for refreshments and children’s games organised by the Upper Hutt council’s recreation team.

‘‘It all went very well considering the forecast we had,’’ Edwards said. ‘‘It was dry and we were lucky because the rain came in about 20 minutes after we got back.’’

This was the second of four holiday walks under the eye of Kev the Kiwi. The first was a week earlier in the Wainuiomata Recreation Area.

Next up Kev ‘‘goes to the seaside’’, at Petone’s Hikoikoi Park on January 19 from 10.30-noon.

The big Kiwi returns to Upper Hutt for his last summer outing at the Tunnel Gully Recreation Area on January 26.

See www.gw.govt.nz/summer events/ for more outdoor events.in Upper Hutt and the Wellington region